Unit One: Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives

Flashcards reviewing key concepts, history, and terminology from Unit One: Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives.

How is "location" defined as a key concept in geography?

The position of something on earth's surface.

How is "space" defined in geographical terms?

The physical gap or distance between two objects.

What is "scale" in the context of geography?

The relationship between the size of an object or distance between objects on a map and the size of the actual object or distance on earth's surface.

What defines a "place" in geographical study?

A specific point on earth with human and physical characteristics that distinguishes it from other points.

What is meant by "pattern" in geography?

The arrangement of objects on earth's surface in relationship to one another.

How is "regionalization" defined?

The organization of earth's surface into distinct areas that are viewed as different from other areas.

What is "globalization"?

The expansion of economic, political, and cultural activities to the point that they reach and have impact on many areas of the world.

What does "spatial organization" encompass?

The location of places, people, and events, and the connections among places and landscapes.

How is a "landscape" defined in geography?

The overall appearance of an area that is shaped by both human and natural influences.

What geographic phrase refers to the critical explanations for why a spatial pattern occurs?

The "why of where"

What purpose does landscape analysis serve?

It provides a basis for understanding the locations of people, places, events, and regions, as well as interconnections between places and regions.

What are the Greek root words from which "geography" originated, and what do they mean?

Geo, meaning "the earth", and graphein, meaning "to write."

What is cartography?

The art and science of map-making.

Who was Hecataeus, and what was his contribution to geography?

A Greek historian who lived from about 550 to 476 B.C.E. (late 6th and early 5th centuries B.C.E.) who described the known world and created a map correcting and enlarging Anaximander's earlier map.

Which historical map of the world is depicted in this image?

Hecataeus's Map of The World

What was one of the great unsolved mysteries regarding geography during Hecataeus's time?

The shape and extent of the southern part of the African land mass.

What estimation did Ptolemy make in the 2nd century C.E., and how did it affect later exploration?

He estimated the circumference of the earth to be about 16,000 miles (about 9,000 miles short of reality), which led Christopher Columbus to believe he was near Asia when he landed in the Americas.

How did geographical knowledge progress during the Middle Ages (500-1400 C.E.)?

Europeans lost touch with Greek and Roman geographical knowledge, while Muslim scholars in the Middle East built upon it, traveled extensively, and proposed theories about the evolution of mountain ranges.

Where did the modern scientific study of geography begin in the 17th century?

Germany

How did German philosopher and geographer Immanuel Kant define geography in the 1700s?

As the study of interrelated spatial patterns—the description and explanation of differences and similarities between one region and another.

What development by the end of the 18th century allowed place to be accurately determined and described?

The use of lines of latitude and longitude.

What are the two great branches into which the field of geography is divided today?

Physical geography and human geography.

What is the primary focus of human geography?

Human geography focuses on people: where they are, how they are alike and different, how they interact, how they change natural landscapes, and how they use them.